Develop - what's new from the Alpkit Design Team

Dream Machines

By Anna Kennett | 15, Nov, 2011

Anna sews a prototype pink Phud.

A factory isn’t really a factory without machines so we got ourselves some new toys to play with at Alpkit HQ. We have had a couple of sewing machines kicking about since way back when but this week we took delivery of a Durkopp Adler and a Brother Bar tacker (that’s a walking foot sewing machine and a machine for putting straps on bags for those of us new to the textile manufacturing world). We also have a round knife; a motorised circular knife that requires a chain mail glove to be worn when operating it and that wouldn’t look out of place on Robot Wars. In a few weeks time we’ll be getting a binding machine that can sew tape around the edges of raw seams. We were given a thorough induction on using and maintaining the machines from the nice chaps who delivered them before being allowed to play.. ahem.. practice sewing up some prototype pink Phud's. Things are going well, we’ve had no sewn fingers so far! It’s going to take me a while to get used to the compressor kicking in every couple of hours (currently it induces heart failure every time) but there is something strangely satisfying about topping up the machine oil first thing each morning.